1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to automatically counting the removal of golf clubs from a golf club bag, and more particularly, to automatically counting and alerting a golfer to the number of golf clubs that have been removed from a golf club bag that need to be restored and automatically alerting the owner of the golf club bag, and even golf grounds personnel, of the non-authorized removal of a golf club from the bag or the bag itself.
2. Description of Related Art
It is usually the practice of a golfer to remove more than one club from their golf bag when considering how to make an upcoming shot. Normally this is done because they are uncertain of what club is appropriate to use. It is then more convenient to have several clubs with them in hand with which to make a selection from than having to walk back to the golf cart for additional clubs. After choosing the correct club to use, the other clubs are placed on the ground. When the shot is made, the golfer may then walk towards the hole to putt the ball in and not realize that he/she left a club on the green. It may then take the golfer several holes later to realize that he/she has forgotten the misplaced club. Furthermore, golf clubs, and even bags, are frequently stolen and easily sold, since they tend to be unmarked. Because golf clubs are so expensive, it is important that golfers have some way to immediately notify them that a theft may be occurring if they are away from their bag.
Misplaced golf club warning devices consist primarily of two types. The first uses a plurality of switches or sensors installed in the bag, which then issue an alarm if one or more clubs are removed. The second type utilize some form of RF (radio frequency) communication from a component either installed in the golf bag or one worn by the golfer which is in contact with a device placed on or in the golf club.
By way of example, in one system using the first type of golf club inventory/reminder device, there are a plurality of cylindrical tubes or openings in a disk that is manufactured into a golf bag at the top opening or further down inside the bag. A sensor consisting of a loaded mechanical switch, and inductive coil or magnetic sensor is located in or around or at the end each receiving member respectively. As a club is removed or replaced, a switch is mechanically unloaded, which then electrically opens or closes a circuit, establishing the presence or absence of a club. Those with magnetic sensors located at the bottom of the plurality of tubes detect the presence or absence of a magnet contained in the grip of the golf club. Further, in yet another method, the presence or absence of a club is determined by the change in the frequency of an electronic oscillator. This is caused by the increase or decrease in the inductance of a tank circuit due to the presence or absence of the ferrous metal golf club shaft, which alters the electrical permeability of an inductive loop that is placed coaxially around each of the plurality of tubes or receiving members. Examples of such systems are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,918 (Klitzman); U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,314 (Miller); U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,909 (Miller); U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,845 (Hara); U.S. Pat. No. 6,377,175 (Williams). In the systems described above, each golf club must be returned to an individual opening at the top of or in the bag. These inventions require a golfer to pay careful attention when returning a club to the bag and can become a source of annoyance.
The other known systems use active or passive RF (radio frequency) methods to detect when clubs are missing from a golf bag. These systems are further divided into two separate categories: RSSI (received signal strength indication) and RFID (radio frequency identification). RSSI systems rely on the distance between a golfer-carried transceiver and a transceiver contained on or in a golf club. As the golfer travels away from a misplaced club, the strength of the signal received by the golfer-carried device diminishes. When it falls below a threshold, an alarm is sounded to alert the golfer that a club is now some distance from the bag. Unlike an RFID system, the transponder device in the golf club must be powered by an internal battery source.
RFID systems utilize a reader device that generates a low frequency RF near field that illuminates the transponders contained in the bag. This field is rectified into a DC voltage, which powers up the transponders and activates them to communicate to the reader device. When a bag is polled, the present inventory count is stored in memory. At any later time, if the polled count returns a lower number, an alarm is sounded.
These systems use a considerable amount of power and require frequent battery replacement. Also, since these devices consume so much power, they require an on/off switch to conserve batteries when the device is not in use. Because of this, a golfer may forget to activate these systems when on the golf course, which may then result in the loss of a club. Examples of such systems are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,921 (Donnelly); U.S. Pat. No. 6,118,376 (Regester); U.S. Pat. No. 6,407,667 (Jackson); U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,762 (Dusza); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,366,025 (Sutphen).
Examples of golf bag alarm systems are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,041,815 (Newton); U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,274 (Long); U.S. Pat. No. 5,610,585 (Kobe); U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,996 (Musznski); U.S. Pat. No. 5,844,483 (Boley); U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,023 (Jackson); U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,596 (French, et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,211 (Boley et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 6,696,950 (Adolphson); and U.S. Pat. No. 2,334,801 (Gazeley).
As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, many of these prior art devices require specialized golf bag designs or inserts to support golf club removal/restoration detection, along with specialized components mounted to or within the golf club itself. The direct mounting of the components of the known systems on the golf clubs have required some damage or defacement to the golf clubs. Further, adding new clubs to the player's collection requires that a component be mounted on each added club for the system to be functional with respect to the added club. Also, any clubs that are replaced or otherwise removed from the collection must have the component removed from the club, or a new component must be obtained for the replacement club. Such component mounting directly on the club thus makes it difficult to add or subtract clubs from the collection if the system is to operate with respect to all clubs of the collection. And since typically the system component is mounted on the tip of the club grip, the system component is vulnerable to damage if the club is dropped on the tip of the club grip. Furthermore, many of these devices employ a continuous transmission of signals that consume large amounts of power which, in turn, requires bulky batteries or short operational periods of time. As a result, the device also includes an on/off switch to save power; however, the presence of the on/off switch introduces a failure mode in that the user may forget to turn the device on, thereby defeating the purpose; or in the alternative, forget to turn the device off, thereby resulting in an inoperative device well before its useful lifetime.
Thus, there remains a need for a device that can be easily coupled to any conventional golf bag and conventional golf clubs without damaging or defacing them, that automatically counts the number of golf clubs removed from the golf club bag while using low power, that automatically informs the user of the number of golf clubs that need to be restored to the golf club bag, that automatically alerts the user, either locally or remotely, that at least one club has not been restored, and which also can provide automatic alerts to the golf bag owner, or golf grounds personnel, as to unauthorized contact with the golf bag and/or its contents.
All references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.